ManWood July/August Trip

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Trip start
July 27, 2023
ManWood July/August Trip Traveler
ManWood July /August Trip
July 27, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Day 1,
It all starts with a idea a thought or a dream.......
Back in 2019 a very good friend I know called Kristy, asked if it would be possible to take her and her family out to South Africa on a CoCos Foundation trip.
"Of course" I replied.
We have never taken a family out to do a build trip before so this was going to be a first. She subsequently invited another family that they holiday with all the time. So with four adults and four teenagers all onboard their fund raising begain for the trip of a life time booked for 2020. Did someone say 2020 🦠
Well that didn't happen....!
3 whole years later we are finally have the privilege of making their dream come true and we are off....!
Next stop Heathrow airport T5Read more
Great [Vicki Connors]
7/30/23Reply
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ManWood July/August Trip Traveler
Day 1
July 28, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 21 °C
11hrs and we finally land at Johannesburg airport. The flight has been booked straight through which means we only have 2hrs to transfer onto the next plane. It's a rush..!
We grab our bags and the straight up to the check in for the second flight to Durban . It was all going so well when the lady a the check in said that one of the labels did match out receipts.
Sure enough we had picked up some else's bag.
We raced down to the baggage handling office only to be told we could go through to customs to see if our bag was there. In the end we couldn't miss our flight so we left Gladdis a lovely lady with the task of finding the bag and getting it to us. (to be continued...!)
We set of on the 5hr journey up the coast to Foundation Lodge where Nkosie is ready to meet the volunteers.
This table has had many volunteers around it but never two families. We have arrived safely and have the pleasure of an amazing home cooked meal. Butternut Soup and home made bread 🥖 Sooooooo nice, thank you Mai
Bed time within the first 5 mins boom i is asleep....lolRead more
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ManWood July/August Trip Traveler
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Day 2
July 29, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
The first day out in the community is probably one of the hardest days for a volunteer. But before that happens we are up at 6am and on the way to the beach for sun rise.
But Nkosie decides to take his new trainers brought by a volunteer from the April trip @JaneAttew for a spin and runs the 5 kilometres to the beach.
We are at the beach 🏝️ 7:30am where we meet him looking very happy with his trainers.
With just enough time for me to go for a swim the families watch the sun rise and are happy taking photos. "My happy place, Love it here."
Home for breakfast and then of to the Children's Home so the team can have a presentation from the CEO Noshile about the Children's Home on the amazing work they do. Once we completed the Children's home presentation and a lot of question had been answered.
We cross the road to the Christoph Meyer Math & Science Centre. There are about 200 children here from the surrounding area in a competition all about Robotics. This goes way over my head. Although I find education a huge challenge even in my 50's I do understand the importance of it especially in a rural community where it is often the only way to get a child out of poverty.
We say our goodbyes to Dorothy the principal and we meet up with Mphume the North regional social worker for LK. She will be taking us around to do the home visits.
The house that we visit first I have been show before. The group are introduced to the a lady at the first house that we visited out of four. The look of shock says it all........
You don't get numbed by what you see but you do have to protect yourself to make sure you stay focused to make a plan.
Marisa pops her sun glasses down and her and her mum walk away. Within a the trips this day the toughest, reality hits and all volunteers find it hard.
Over the course of the day the team have many discussions about which house they would build first and why. Neither is right or wrong all have valid points. But the truth is a decision has to made in which order has we don't have funding for them all.
At dinner the team go over the day and laugh at getting stuck twice or was it three times in the sand. They discussed further the house situation and till a plan is made.
A great first day...!Read more
❣️ [Jo Pratt]
7/30/23Reply
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ManWood July/August Trip Traveler
Day 3
July 30, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Day 3 is alway a little easier. Nkosie was up and out of the house for his morning run and loved it, down to the beach and back again.
I waited in for the man that was delivering Den's bag (correction, family bag) from Durban airport. He arrived nice and early which made Den happy.
To day we visit houses that we have already built and visit Siyabonga and his brothers house that Geoff and Ruth donated.
The first house was the house that the April team built and they were so pleased to see us. Grandpa was still alive and well which was great to see and GoGo gave me a huge hug 🤗. It's warms the heart to see the families up lifted.
The second house was the house that this group were supposed to build in 2020 but covid put a stop to that.
I had printed and framed a photo of for the family to give to the Auntie. It was special this house has I had promised GoGo that I would build a house for her Grandchildren and the she passed away with Covid before it was possible. The house did get built and the promised did get kept. The photo had GoGo in it so the family were so happy.
The 3rd house we visited was Siyabonga's house. Anybody who knows the foundation from the start know the journey of theses boys and the challenges they have faced. Today we visited the new house that had been built by our local builders and donated by Papa Smurf and Grandma Smurf, Geoff and Ruth.
Jack one of the volunteers had brought a drone with him. So we took some amazing videos of the house and the area so Geoff and Ruth could see it.
With the job completed. It was of to Hluhluwe to buy the boys the essentials, like plates, bowls and knifes and folks. Siya walk round the shop it was like supermarket sweep.....
I said to Siya to slow down. His response was. "But Chrrrris I only see you once a year....😀Read more
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ManWood July/August Trip Traveler
Day 4 Build day
July 31, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
After 2 days out in the community the team are ready to build, all fired up and ready to go.
The first thing is to move 900 bricks 🧱 . Mixing the cement which means been in the hole 🕳️ digging out the sand plus collecting the 💦. 🧱 + Sand + 💦 = Cement with a great dose of a team to mix it. Great first day 7 corse high.Read more
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ManWood July/August Trip Traveler
Day 5 Full on work day
August 1, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
It's a full on work day......
This team are so speedy, focused and a breeze. Any fears I had of bring out families to Build have been expelled. They get on great and certainly get a job done.
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ManWood July/August Trip Traveler
Day 6 Food day
August 2, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Sometimes words are not enough and you need more. This little video explains it all.
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ManWood July/August Trip Traveler
Day 7 After school club
August 3, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
What's been nice on this trip is observing the interaction between the families themself, which has been amazing. They all just get stuck in there and the children you can see have loved every minute of it. Especially Ashton and Lizzy they love playing with the little children.
To day is the After School Club
After a not so sure start at Mdinwa school the team absolutely loved it and asked when are we going back.
Sometimes pulling teams of the build is like pulling teeth...lol
But it's great to show them all how embedded into the community the CoCos Foundation is. Thank you Vamsile our Sewing Lady for all that you do and have done to make the Clothes4Clothes project run so much more smoothly.Read more
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ManWood July/August Trip Traveler
Day 8 Bappy faces warm hearts ❤️
August 4, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Today was one of those days when you just give back..!
It's been a long time coming but the 3 bothers thanks to Ruth and Geoff Palmer got their house and a place they can call home.
The team also caught up with the girls that we will be building a house for in October and brought them a load of clothes. Note to self never let girls go shopping with a credit card.
Happy face all around means warm hearts. ❤️Read more
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ManWood July/August Trip Traveler
Day 9 Time to reflect
August 5, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
Today was time to stop and reflect something I'm not to good at.
We visited Sphiwa and Jocelyn at Mabibi way up north. Plus bumped into Tarryn and Christoph from the Butterfly home.
The drive out was somewhat different for the volunteers and we had a true African Briaa. Salmon for me. Just with friends chilling and watching the sun go down over the lake.Read more
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ManWood July/August Trip Traveler
Day 10 Safari Day
August 6, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
The team are up early ready to go. It's Safari day. But first Brunch at the Hluehluwe pineapple 🍍 farm on rout to the local market so the volunteers can buy their souvenirs and the on to Bayete.
We take milkshakes to go and 45 mins later arrive at the market. The team get lost in the many rooms that are there and once they have made all their purchases we make our way to Bayete. I love the drive through and the excitement of not knowing what you may see.
When we get to the lodge the lovely laddies that look after us take all the food to the kitchen. The team are show to their rooms and they have huge smiles on their faces.
One of the house Muma's comes up to me and says Chris where is the chicken 🐔 for tonight's meal....
No.........
Ops we forgot it...!
Now anywhere else in the world would mean a quick pop down to the local shop 5mins away.
Not here. We are 1hr away from the shop. So Nkosie snd I jump into the mimi bus and if we go if we are going to eat tonight.
2,5 hrs late we have chicken 🐔 tonight. Well most the team Nkosie hopped for stake.
The first drive out is at 3pm and we made it back in time.
We have quite a dry drive but then I get to see to dominate male wildebeest fighting.
After returning the chicken was a great success and we settle down to the camp firer.Read more
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ManWood July/August Trip Traveler
Day 11 2nd Safari day
August 7, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
6am up and ready to go for the second game drive and on the look out for Lions 🦁. Everyone is up and no one need waking up on the second safari day.
Dillon our Safari ranger did us proud, not just a lioness but 3 beautiful cubs. It never ceases to amaze me the pure size of these animals.
After an elephant interaction we had lunch at Tiger Lodge over looking the reservoir,Read more
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ManWood July/August Trip Traveler
Day 12 Bagwash Day
August 8, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
It's the last day of the build which means it's Bagwash day and dressing the house getting it ready to hand over.
The team have worked so hard and it is so lovely to see it all coming together. 4 years of preparation and and we are final there.Read more
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ManWood July/August Trip Traveler
Day 13 Beach Day
August 9, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Sometimes on a trip you get ups with downs, but an unexpected has visit to the hospital rural hospital certainly delivered an up.
I not to sure if you were the only person in the waiting room that the NHS would deliver such a good atmosphere that made you feel good without taking any medication...lol
Time for the beach and........chill.
Then the last meal at Sodwana Bay Lodge. Before we up lift to Rorkes Drift.
What a team....!Read more
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ManWood July/August Trip Traveler
Day 14 Rorkes Dift the long drive
August 10, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Today we uplift to a Ranch near Rorkes Drift. But first a long drive via Vryheid and the opportunity to see Xoliswa and Mr G. I can not wait..! It's been 4yrs since I last saw the man that sorts everything out for us in SA and Xoliswa it's always a joy to see him.
But before we leave we need that photo with the Lovely Nomusa that looks after the whilst at the lodge.

Whilst in Vryheid it was also great to meet Edgar the man that makes all our beads for the children that we build the houses for. A true Craftsman.
After a short lunch break, there never seems enough time to spend with people you care about.
So it's a 3hr drive of to Rorkes Drift. When we finally get there we are staying in an Air BB for 3 days. We start of done a dirt track into a valley , 45mins later we are met by a young man. I thought the son of maybe the owner off this remote raunch. But no at 22 he owns and runs it. Hats of to him.
That afternoon he took the team out for a game drive.Read more
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ManWood July/August Trip Traveler
Day 15
August 11, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Today a great day for the team they have waited so long to go to Blood River and Rorke's Drift and finally with their guided Sean leading the way.
How time moves on. In the mini bus we have has Sean puts it, the 3 great Warriors.
The Zulu's
The Africans
And the English.
In the great fights that surrounded the area that we now found ourselves in 100yrs ago we wouldn't be sharing a mini bus or any vehicle..!
At the end of the day Sean buys everyone of a beer 🍺 and we bow our heads and raised a bottle has he units the great warriors that had fallen.Read more
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ManWood July/August Trip Traveler
Day 16
August 12, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Another great day out for the Team. Plus we got to visit some ancient Zulu paintings in a cave on the Rauch with our host.
It's beautiful to sit in the cave looking out over the the African plane knowing that we all came from Africa once upon a time.........Read more
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ManWood July/August Trip Traveler
Day 17 Durban
August 13, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
After and amazing tag on 3 days in such a beautiful place it was time to make the long drive to Durban. But first to check it hasn't rained in the night otherwise with everyone in the vehicle plus the luggage we will not be going anywhere.
No rain so we are of.
We arrive at the hotel for one nights stay and a little retail therapy.
It always feels a little strange back out in the city.
We book a table at a local restaurant for our final meal in SA. My lasting memory is Ashton ploughing through a meat platter for two....lolRead more
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ManWood July/August Trip Traveler
Day 18
August 14, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Time to fly home.
It's always a challenge leaving friends behind. But I always say that you have to go home to come back.
Thank you Africa, Till next time.
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Trip end
August 15, 2023